Hyperscale

Hyperscale is computing built to grow across enormous numbers of servers, data centres, cables, cooling systems and power supplies so that millions of people can ask for something at once and receive it before they have finished sighing. The interface makes this feel weightless. You type a prompt on the sofa; somewhere else an industrial building gets on with the frankly less poetic business of electricity, heat and water. *Human Still Wins* follows a proposed hyperscale facility in Farmington, Minnesota, where residents questioned a contract permitting water demand greater than the city’s ordinary daily use. That does not mean every chatbot query requires a candlelit apology. It means the magic has plumbing. Hyperscale gives us speed, reach and astonishing capability. It also puts very physical costs into particular communities. Good judgement is being able to admire the machine and still ask who is paying for the cold water.